A couple of doors in an unusual town

We are in the East Coast town of Oamaru on the South Island of New Zealand.

I have posted elsewhere about this town, so I will try to be brief.

  • There is archeological evidence of Māori habitation of the area from about AD 1500 or earlier.
  • James Cook reached the area in about 1770
  • There was a fishing harbour and a frozen meat facility nearby which allowed Oamaru to flourish.
  • These buildings date back to the mid 1800’s and are made from local limestone. Wool and grain were the major activities and at it’s peak, the area must have thrived.
  • Perhaps a consequence of all this success was the need to declare Oamaru a “dry” city from 1906 to 1960.
  • The heritage aspect of the town became a the new focus in the early 2000’s, leading to what we see today. These old Victorian store rooms today house galleries, antique shops, book stores and eateries. Bars, Craft beer shops and distilleries serve excellent whiskey beer and wine (possibly making up for 50 years of prohibition).

The doorways of a couple of the old woolsheds and grain stores are shown below.

Detail:


There is a bit about Oamaru more here

Thanks for reading!


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